Under The Sakura Tree
by Hinata Inuzuka xx
Summary: After a 9-year competition, Sakura finally gets her man. Ino's affection however, happens to be pointed towards another person. A certain ex-best friend with pink hair, perhaps? SakuIno InoSaku InoxSakura SakuraxIno


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This is a oneshot SakuraxIno story that I felt the urge to write.

I really like this paring. :)

All in Ino's POV.

No vivid shoujoai (female yaoi), such as sex scenes or anything. It's all clean.

Enjoy!**  
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**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

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I lay quietly beneath the cherry tree. The sun was just about to set. The view was beautiful, really. _If only we could be sharing this sight._ This tree, this hill... she and I came here to play all the time when we were younger. _But I guess that's all changed now, huh?_ I smiled, closing my eyes. How long ago was that? Must've been about...lets see... 9 years? Wow. The time sure did pass quickly. God, we were so young. So stupid. She was my best friend and all because of him I let her go._ I was an idiot._ We competed over him for years and he never even batted an eye. Until today. It was a simple lunch. I wouldn't have even been there if Temari hadn't invited us. She and I usually never showed up in the same place at the same time unless we were absolutely forced to. But how could we say no to our friend on her birthday? Things were going fine. She and I were seated on the opposite sides of the table. Hinata was right in the middle of a story about Neji when all of a sudden Sasuke appeared. He asked to speak with her. Then he kissed her. He actually KISSED her! After 9 years of no attention whatsoever, he just kissed her._ He stole her. _And all of a sudden, she had won. This stupid competition was finally over. Truthfully, I stopped caring about Sasuke years ago. After being ignored so much, a person just gives up over time. But there's no way I could show this, never. I was scared to. For almost a decade this is all I've known. Fighting with her, lusting after him... I didn't know what else to do with my life. I had nothing. But I couldn't help the fact that my emotions had shifted. They went from tall, dark, and handsome to... her. My ex best friend. Suddenly I kept thinking of small, pink, and beautiful. I couldn't get her out of my head. I still can't, actually. But it's over now. She finally won; she got the guy. _And I've got nothing anymore. _I felt hollow. The only thing that kept me in this godforsaken town was to know that I got to see her. Shopping, training, even just taking a walk. I felt my heart soar every time I saw that familiar face come into view. Of course I had to ignore her as she passed, mumbling some stupid insult, but inside I knew that I would kill just to hold her. _And now she's with him._ Every time I see her now I'll crash instead of soar. I'll go numb, and helplessly replay the scene in my head of when kissed her. The surprise and joy in her eyes. Her small blush with spread across her face, matching the color of her hair. I'll remember how she was taken from me so quickly, and how she never even realized it. The day my world fell. It will haunt me forever.

"Ino?"

My eyes opened lazily as I heard the voice of my teammate. The sunlight had been reduced to a dim purple glow on the horizon._ How long had I been thinking?_ In this light he looked...right. Amongst the shadows. Isn't that where the shadow-using ninja belongs? He took a few steps towards me, hands in his pockets. He looked tired. _Has he been looking for me?_

"Under the cherry tree. How ironic." He mumbled, sitting next to me in the grass.

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked quietly. Well, what a surprise. Shikamaru knew. Of course he did, the guy's a damn genius. But why did this bother me so much? I suppose I feel... whats the word... guilty? But I'm not doing anything wrong. Besides the whole 'girl-on-girl' thing. I do admit I've felt a little bad about the thoughts in my head. This isn't right, is it? Aren't the girls supposed to want the big hunky guys? So wouldn't it be more appropriate for me to be fantasizing about Shikamaru here, or Sasuke, or even Naruto? Why do my thoughts turn to her? Isn't that like, a sin, or something? What the hell. Since when am I religious? I always thought of myself as the open minded type. I didn't care when Shino came out. I thought it was kind of cool, actually. But I guess it's a little different when you find yourself in the situation. So what does this make me? Am I gay, then? Am I bi? _Does it really matter?_ I sighed.

"So... obviously, you're not taking it well." He grunted, pulling up grass. I watched blankly as he grabbed a handful, tore it from its roots, then tossed it aside. _Why does that remind me so much of my life right now?_ I smiled sadly. I wish I could say I was fine. I wish I could assure him that everything was perfect, and be telling the truth. I wish I could be the old me again. But as long as her face is sketched into my mind I'll never be the same. I don't know how I'm going to go on without that tiny glimmer of hope, much like the remaining rays of light in the sky. As long as shes with him I know that I'm hopeless. "Ino?" I turned to face him, and suddenly realized that he came here to take me home.

"Shikamaru..." I whispered slowly, "She's gone."

He gave me a sad smile and put his arm around my shoulders. "You know I'm not good at these kind of speeches. But for you I'll try my best." He took my hand. "Listen to me." I glanced up, finding his dark eyes overflowing with compassion. "She's not gone. Understand? Tell me you understand." I nodded slowly. I didn't believe him. "Ino, she's not. Ever since you guys were kids you've faught over Sasuke, correct? So now that she "won" the fight... can't you two be friends again?"

For a brief second I thought he might be right, but then I imagined how it would be. She would tell me what they did last night. I would die a little more inside. She would tell me they were engaged. I would sink farther into depression. She would tell me she was pregnant. I would... _No. _It wouldn't work. "No, Shika-kun. It's a little late for that. I could never think of her as 'just a friend'. Never."

He nodded, and tightened his grip on my hand. The sun had fully set now. The darkness fit me just a little too well. The chilly night air blew suddenly towards the hill. I flinched at the cold, leaning a little more into Shikamaru's embrace. I felt him tense up. _Was that because of me or the wind?_ My thoughts were interrupted as I felt something soft hit my nose. I glanced up, and with a gasp I saw that the wind had knocked several cherry blossoms loose. They were drifting slowly towards the ground. The sight of the pink flowers was so beautiful I didn't dare look away. As I watched them I remembered a certain day about 9 years ago while She and I stood on this exact hill, watching this exact sight. That was the day I first realized the beauty of the cherry blossoms, or 'Sakura', in our native tongue. I finally understood why she was named as she was. But even the beauty of the flowers didn't match to her radiance. She was a goddess to me. I felt a pressure in my chest, as if something were squeezing my heart. I closed my eyes, fighting hard against the tears that were welling up. Useless. Tears fell down my cheeks as I realized this was the end. I had no future here. The only thing I could do now was leave. Leave, and hope that somewhere out there I could find the cure for heartbreak. "Goodbye Sakura Haruna," I whispered into the wind, squeezing Shikamaru's hand as tight as I could. The pain in my chest was choking me. "Goodbye my love." The wind died slowly, and the floating flowers fell to the ground. I opened my eyes, loosening my grip on his hand.

He looked deep into my eyes, and with a half-hearted smile he helped me to my feet. "Come on, Ino. Let's get out of here."

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What did you think?

I don't know if I'm that good with oneshots, ehhh.

Reviews?

Tell me if you liked it!

Thank you so much!

-- Hinata Inuzuka xx


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